Friday, January 21, 2011

"New Ciclovia"-car-free Sundays

Gil Peñalosa of 8-80 Cities will be giving three programs next week, sponsored by Bike! Walk! Northwest Georgia, the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission and the Georgia Department of Transportation.  Gil and his team initiated the "new Ciclovia"-car-free Sundays- today an internationally recognized program which sees over 1.3 million people walk, run skate and bike along 121 kilometers of Bogota's city roads.

There will be two talks and a workshop.  The talks will be at 7 pm on Monday, January 31, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Cartersville and at 6 pm on Tuesday, February 1, at the Dalton City Hall.  The workshop will be from 9 am to 1 pm on Monday, January 31, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Cartersville.  There is no charge for the events.  For more information, contact David Kenemer at 706-295-6485 or dkenemer@nwgrc.org.
 Ciclovia/Car Free Sundays Workshop - January 31, 2011
You are invited to the "Ciclovia/Car Free Sundays Workshop on January 31st 2011. The Workshop will be from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn, 24 Liberty Drive Cartersville, Georgia. There is no fee and course will be taught by Gil Peñalosa, Executive Director of the Canadian non-profit organization 8-80 Cities (www.8-80cities.org) and former Commissioner of Parks, Sports and Recreation in Bogotá, Colombia.

Car Free Sundays are programs where the streets are opened to people and closed to cars. People traffic replaces car traffic, and the streets become "paved parks" where people of all ages, abilities, and social, economic, or ethnic background can come out and improve their mental, physical, and emotional health.

Car Free Sundays allow people to walk, bike, dance, skate, and do just about any physical activity on public spaces that are always there but are normally reserved solely for the use of automobiles. An added benefit of Car Free Sundays is that they allow people to discover how easy and convenient it is to reach places by walking and cycling when safe facilities are provided.
Topics include:
·        Benefits of Ciclovias
·        Basic elements of Ciclovia logistics
·        Best Practices
·        International Examples
·        Hands-on group activities related to Ciclovia development

Gil Peñalosa is an internationally renowned liveable city advisor, social marketing strategist and is passionate about vibrant and healthy communities. Hoping to improve the quality of life for all residents, Gil promotes walking and cycling as well as the creation and use of great city parks and trails. Because of his unique blend of pragmatism and passion, Gil's leadership and advice has been sought out by many cities and organizations. A speaker in high demand, Gil has presented at over 150 workshops and seminars in North America and has been keynote speaker and provided consultation throughout the Americas, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

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